Computer-based networking service and method and system for performing the same

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for assisting individuals ( 101 ) arrange meetings such as networking meeting with other individuals ( 101 ) at a specified time (or within a specified time range) and/or at a specified place (or within a specified geographic region). More specifically, methods and systems for allowing individuals ( 110 ) to post an invitation to for a meeting on an on-line network and for allowing one or more other individuals ( 101 ) to accept such invitation.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/110,711, filed Apr. 11, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,963,900 which is anational stage application under 35 U.S.C. Sect. 371 of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/US01/06146, filed Feb. 27, 2001, whichclaims priority to Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/185,902,filed Feb. 29, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates an on-line and/or wireless system andmethod for facilitating the arrangement of networking meetings betweentwo or more individuals. More specifically, the invention relates toproviding a system and method for allowing communications between two ormore parties relating to the scheduling and arrangement of a meetingbetween the two or more parties.

2. Description of the Related Art

Several publications are referenced in this application. The referencesdescribe the state of the art to which this invention pertains and arehereby incorporated by reference.

Today's worker often finds him or herself with more to do, with lesstime. The pressures of work, family, social obligations and time forleisure activities combine to transform the average individual's dailyor weekly schedule into one which is overloaded with commitments. Yetfor some individuals, particularly business travelers, there are periodsof time when one finds oneself with time to fill—“down time”. Forexample, the business traveler often shuttles from city to city formeetings and the like. When the meetings in a particular city are overand/or delays caused by travel disruptions, the business traveler oftenfinds himself or herself with a considerable amount of free time beforethe next meeting or the next leg of the business trip. There may be anevening during a business trip or morning where the individual has ablock of time for relaxing, catching up on work, etc. Although theseperiods are sometimes a welcome breather from the daily grind, they cantypically seem like lost opportunities or wasted time. If “catching up”on the work doesn't require much time, the business traveler may find anentire evening free of obligations in a city far from home. Currently,this time may be spent eating a dinner alone in the hotel's restaurant,eating alone in the room using room service or other solitaryactivities.

Today, there is a heightened awareness of the value of time and theimportance of utilizing one's time efficiently to maximize one'sprofessional and personal endeavors. It would be desirable to provide aservice for such individuals which enables them to better utilize “downtime” in a highly constructive manner.

Although there are products and services such as television, movies,etc. which provide a form of entertainment during “down time”, theseproducts and services do not necessarily provide the individual with thehuman interaction with others that can make an evening or other periodof time rewarding in both the professional and personal sense.

Although not geared to the business traveler or to optimizing “downtime”, dating services are gaining popularity as more and more people donot have the time or opportunity to meet potential dates. Manyindividuals who have been displaced from a network of family and/orfriends sometimes find themselves bored with the “bar scene” and havenot had much luck with “blind dates.” There are several existingcomputer-based methods and systems directed to providing datingservices. Initially, most dating services were provided by mail or overthe telephone where participants would input their personalcharacteristics (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, age, geographiclocation, etc.) and their preferences for a date (e.g., gender, age,etc.). As the use of the Internet has become more popular, many systemsand methods were developed for providing dating services on-line.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,951 to Collins relates to acomputer-implemented dating service, and more particularly, to a method,system and apparatus for real-time, on-line computer searching andmatching of database entries based on location and user-selectablesearch criteria. The system provides user-controlled perusal of theon-line dating search results. A database of subscriber information issearched to find at least one subscriber matching user search criteria.The subscriber information includes preferences of subscribers to theservice. Both the personal preferences and the subscriber informationinclude at least: a gender preference; a geographic location preference;a geographic location preference; an age preference; appearancepreferences; religious belief preferences; educational levelpreferences; and a goal preference, wherein the goal preference is oneof “romance”; “friendship” or “a walk on the wild side”, wherein thegeographic location preference is at least one of a postal code, acountry, a city, a suburb, a block, or a street. The subscriberinformation includes a date of last payment of a use fee by eachsubscriber and a date of last updating of a personal profile by eachsubscriber. First the system locates, from the database, all validsubscribers whose gender preferences matches the required genderpreference and who are located “nearby” the given postal (zip) code.Then, for each subscriber found in the first step, the system alsoretrieves the user's system information such as user name, phone numberand geographic location. Next, for each subscriber retrieved (whomatched the gender and geographic location criteria), the systemdetermines a score based on the subscriber's input information, thesubscriber's preferences and the user's input and preferences. The listof matching subscribers is then sorted in descending order by “score”,then in ascending order by zip code and then in descending order of lastaccess and/or payment.

Thus, the system and method of Collins provides an on-line datingservice which matches subscribers with other subscribers for possibledating. Such a system would be unsuitable for providing an on-linenetworking system for arranging meetings such as dinner meetings at aspecified time and place. The on-line dating service of Collin wouldnot, for example, enable an individual to better utilize “down time”which occurs as a result of a layover at a particular city on a businesstrip. Or for an individual at home who has just had their evening planscancelled but would still like to meet with other individuals fordinner, a drink or the like. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,395 to deHonda.

Moreover, a “dating service” is not always an acceptable alternative ofthe individual. First, the individual may not be interested in a date inthe romantic sense. Such dating services are geared to matching peopletogether in a romantic sense. For individuals who are married, forexample, the “dating services” currently offered do not offer anattractive choice for better utilizing their down time. Second, manypeople feel a stigma is associated with seeking and/or finding a“significant other” using a dating service. Furthermore, such servicestypically first match the individuals and then the individuals, ifwilling, communicate via email and/or telephone to learn more about eachother. Such systems are not suitable for setting up a networking meetingat a particular time and place.

Finally, such services are not primarily geared to helping an individualpromote oneself through “networking” with other individuals. Business“networking” has become an integral part of many professions.Individuals spend a considerable amount of time going to conferences,joining social clubs and professional associations to meet and networkwith other business people to further their professional aspirations.Professional conferences, although primarily planned to provide lecturesand discussion roundtables, almost always include “networking” functionssuch as luncheons or cocktail receptions to allow participants tonetwork with each other and “exchange business cards”. For someprofessionals, such as salespeople, a considerable amount of their“work” includes simply networking with other individuals in the hopes ofcreating business contacts and/or product/service customers.

Another good indication of the importance of “networking” are the numberof social clubs offered to individuals and the amount of moneyindividuals will pay to join such clubs. In the City of New York, thereare a variety of social clubs that offer opportunities to network withother members. Such clubs include university alumni clubs such as theYale Club or the Harvard Club and non-alumni clubs such as the New YorkYacht Club and Union Club. However, not all members of such clubs jointo “networking” purposes. Many join because of the fine amenitiesoffered including dining services and overnight accommodations. A recentarticle illustrated the possible friction between members attempting tonetwork with non-interested members: “The oh-so-proper Harvard Club ofNew York is polling members about a proposal that they wear an ‘H’ pinin their labels to signify a willingness to socialize while at the club.Seems certain members resent unsolicited efforts of others to network”.Forbes, “How about $ for $tuff”, Jan. 24, 2000.

Private social clubs have in the past provided “communal tables” in theclub's dining facilities. This would allow members of the club, who aredining alone, to sit together and thereby interact. Since all those atthe table were members of the same club, each shared at least somecommon interests. Recently, an increasing number of restaurants areoffering seating at “communal tables” which allow strangers to dinetogether. “The Nearness of . . . Who?” by Jennifer Tung, New York Times,Feb. 20, 2000. Such tables offer diners the opportunity to dine withothers rather than dine alone. However, ironically, the attractivenessof such public “communal tables”, the diversity of individuals who mayparticipate, is also one of its drawbacks. More specifically, it isdifficult to predict who will be seated next to who. Since individualscan have a wide variety of interests and backgrounds, the “communaltable” does not always result in the most desirable dining experiencefor all those participating. Moreover, not all restaurants, in fact veryfew, offer such seating arrangements.

Thus, although there is a great deal of opportunities to “network”, itis sometimes difficult to determine the who's, where's and when ofnetworking. Although some events sponsored by social clubs orassociations are clearly intended for networking, and thus allparticipants are willing to network, the timing of such events aretypically outside the control of individuals. An individual is unable,for example, to attend such an event on a particular business triplayover in Chicago. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide animproved method and system for networking since, today, careeradvancement may rely not only on working hard and keeping abreast of thelatest developments in one's field, but also professionally networkingwith others in a variety of business settings such as conferences andthe like.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,859 to Senda provides an information providingapparatus and system for providing registered subscribers withinformation required for meeting with desired people while traveling.The apparatus includes attribute/schedule storing means for storing foreach subscriber, attribute data and schedule data of a subscriber, andattribute data of a person expected to meet, subscriber selecting meansfor selecting a specific subscriber having common attribute data andcommon schedule data among subscribers by reference to theattribute/schedule storing means, information accumulating means foraccumulating information as to the expected person for each subscriberselected by the subscriber selecting means, and information providingmeans for providing subscribers via a communication network with theinformation accumulated by the information accumulating means. Inoperation, the attribute data and schedule data of a subscriber and theattribute data of an expected person are stored in advance inattribute/schedule storing means for each subscriber who expects to meetwith a desired person while traveling. The subscriber selecting meansselects a specific subscriber having common attribute data and commonschedule data among subscribers by referring to the attribute/schedulestoring means. The drawback of the system of this system is that itgenerates information regarding the other party who the subscriber canmeet with. The system does not allow for “two-way” arranging andscheduling which would allow for a more synergistic networking. Thesystem of Senda is analogous to the system of Collin except Sendaincludes “travel schedule data” in the preference information and thesystem generates a list of possible matches based on the attribute dataof a desired person and the travel schedule data. The system fails toprovide individuals with a flexible and dynamic system for networking.Although the system provides information required for meeting with adesired person while traveling, it is the system that “selects aspecific subscriber having common attribute data and common scheduledata among subscribers by referring to the attribute/schedule storingmeans”. This is disadvantageous since the parties participating in theservice are “matched” by the system, rather then by themselves.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved system and methodwhich overcomes the above described disadvantages. More specifically, itwould be desirable to provide a method and system which providespersonalized, dynamic interactive means which allows individuals toschedule a time and place for a meeting for the purpose of business orpersonal networking.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to overcome the above-identifieddeficiencies.

It is another object of the invention to provide an on-line method andsystem which allows for personalized, interactive and dynamic assistancein arranging networking meetings.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and systemwhich provides a user with the ability to facilitate the arrangement ofnetworking meetings such as dinners, golf outings and the like.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method andsystem which facilitates the development of a user's business andprofessional associations.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a system andmethod which allows one or more individuals to advertise invitations fornetworking meetings which may be reviewed and/or accepted by one or moreindividuals.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will beset forth in or apparent from the following description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method that allowsindividuals to meet and network with other individuals at a specifiedtime and place. According to the invention, a first user “posts” aninvitation for a meeting which includes a proposed time (or time range)and place for the meeting and, if desired, any preferences or criteriasuch as who the first user is interested in meeting with (e.g., acomputer scientist, an attorney, a resident from a particular city,alumni from a particular college, etc.).

For example, one preferred embodiment of the invention relates to asystem and method which allows an individual to “post” an invitation tomeet at a proposed time and location. The invitation may be accessibleby other users on an on-line bulletin board, for example. The“invitation” is reviewed by such users. When one or more users “accepts”the “invitation”, a meeting may be established.

Providing an interactive, dynamic system and method for networking wouldbe a valuable service for those individuals who wish to make “down time”on business trips or at home both productive and interesting. A statedabove, business travelers and other individuals often find themselveswith “down time” or “dead time” (e.g., a block of time with no plans)and/or a desire to meet with a particular type of individual at aspecified time and place. For example, at the end of any given dayduring a business trip, a traveling professional usually has one of twooptions: (a) do more work or (b) go back to his hotel room for dinner.The inventive systems and methods will provide a more enjoyable,productive alternative: join other traveling or nontravelingprofessionals for “networking” dinners or other meeting anywhere in theworld. Rather than eat alone in a restaurant, at home, or in a hotelroom in front of a television, the user may be able to take part in astimulating, productive meeting with other like-minded individuals.

Thus, one aspect of the invention is to provide a method and apparatuswhich enables a user to advertise an invitation to a proposed meetingsuch as a dinner meeting, a golf outing, or other networking event on acomputer network, such as the Internet, to directly or indirectlyreceive acceptances from prospective individual users.

It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a method andapparatus which enables a plurality if inviting users to advertiseinvitations at a single location which is readily updated, such as a Webpage or bulletin board, and accessible via a computer network, such asthe Internet.

It is still further aspect of the invention to provide a method andapparatus which enables users seeking invitations to access informationrelating to one or more invitations posted by inviting users via acomputer network.

It is still further aspect of the invention to provide a method andapparatus which enables users seeking such invitations to accessinformation relating to one or more invitations posted by inviting usersvia a computer network. According to one embodiment, the system maydisconnect the user from the single location while enabling the user tocommunicate directly with the inviting user via the computer networkwhen the user accepts the invitation advertised by the inviting user.

According to one preferred embodiment, the invention enables a pluralityif inviting users to advertise or post invitations at a single location,such as a Web page or bulletin board, accessible via a computer network,such as the Internet, and also enables users seeking invitations toaccess information relating to one or more invitations posted byinviting users via a computer network. This is achieved by providing asoftware program, recorded on a computer readable medium, forcontrolling a computer of an inviting user to generate the invitationthat can be accessed via the Internet. More specifically, the softwareprogram is adaptable to be run by a user's computer to control thecomputer to generate a computer readable file (invitation file) thatincludes information pertaining to the invitation and which can beaccessed from a remote site via the Internet. For example, theinvitation file can be posted as a Web site on the World Wide Web. Auser seeking an invitation can access the Web site and search theinformation in one or more posted invitations for a desired invitation.Also, a portion of the invitation file can be uploaded to a remote Website that is hosted by the remote computer. Invitation seekers canaccess the remote Web site and search the uploaded portion of theinvitation file for a desired invitation. For example, the uploadedportion of the invitation file may include the time and location (e.g,city, neighborhood, restaurant, etc.), whereas the remaining portion ofthe invitation file includes information such as food preference or anyother criteria. The remote computer is also preferably capable ofautomatically searching the uploaded portion of the invitation files fordata that matches date provided by and/or criteria of the user. Forexample, an invitation seeker may wish to review all invitations postedfor dinner meetings in Dallas on a particular evening. The user mayfurther limit the invitations to one or more criteria such as reviewingall such invitations seeking a dinner meeting with an intellectualproperty attorney(s). Preferably, the remote computer is capable ofinforming the invitation seeker's computer when a match is found (e.g.,by an electronic message sent via the Internet, facsimile, etc.).Preferably, the invitation file preferably includes linking data whichenables the invitation seeker's computer or cell phone to send anelectronic message, such as an email or the like, to the inviting user'scomputer and vice-versa via a computer network such as the Internet orvia a telephone or cellular network

It is another aspect of the invention to provide a system and methodwhich efficiently organizes and/or screens the invitations and/oracceptances for the users.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method andapparatus which monitors invitations for an invitation seeker andautomatically notifies the invitation seeker when a invitation for whichthe invitation is suitable becomes available.

Other objects as well as aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from a study of the presentspecification, including the drawings, claims and specific examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the networking user terminal ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram according to one embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram according to another embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term “user” refers to both individuals who are posting invitationsusing the method and system of the invention and individuals who mayaccept the posted invitations. Preferably, the users a members orsubscribers to a service which provides the networking systems andmethods of the invention.

The term “computer devices” is intended to include a device having adigital processor or the like such as a desktop, notebook or handheldcomputer, electronic organizers such as the PalmPilot™, cellulartelephones, personal communication devices, or the like. The inventivemethods and systems are preferably employed using networked computerdevices such as those linked via the Internet or capable of accessingthe Internet. One preferred embodiment of the invention relates topracticing the inventive method and/or constructing the inventive systemusing a computerized network such as a LAN (local area network),Internet, Intranet or the like. Preferably, the invention incorporatesthe use of a network such as the Internet to allow an unlimited numberof users to readily access the inventive service.

The term “anonymous” as used herein is intended to refer to anonymitybetween the two or more parties. One form of anonymity involves“shielded identity”, where a trusted agent knows the identity of the twoor more parties, but does not reveal that identity to others exceptunder specified circumstances. Unless otherwise specified, the term“anonymity” is used throughout this application interchangeably with thenotion of shielded identity. See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,510 to Epstein;U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,272 to Walker et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,007 to Leeet al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,270 to Walker et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.6,012,046 to Lubien et al.

The term “meeting time” and “meeting location” or “meeting place”include specific times and places and also more generalize times (e.g.,time, time range, day, week, etc.) and generalized place (e.g., specificrestaurant, neighborhood, zip code, city, etc.).

The present invention relates generally to a computer-based service forenabling individuals t6 network with other individuals. Morespecifically, the invention relates to a method and system which enablesa user to use a computer network, such as the Internet, to post aninvitation for a meeting such as a dinner meeting and receiveacceptances from prospective users interested in accepting the postedinvitations.

The Internet is a vast network of computers, cellular telephones andother communication devices, network links between the devices, andprotocol and other interface standards that provide a communicationnetwork for computer representatives to exchange computer data withother computer representatives. The World Wide Web (“the Web”) providesan easy interface to the Internet. The Web allows a server computer tosend information such as graphical Web pages to remote devices andallows the remote device to display or communicate the information. Webpages, for example, may contain control regions, such as simulated pushbuttons, that allow the user to acquire and display additional, relatedWeb pages of information in a hypertext fashion.

The invention relates to systems and methods for allowing andfacilitating the arrangement of a meeting between two or more parties(preferably anonymous parties). One broad aspect of the inventionrelates to enabling an individual to post an invitation for a meeting ofany sort for others to review and, if interested, accept. One advantageof the inventive system is the ability to post an invitation for dinner,for example, at a specified time in a particular city. Since theinvitation includes a specified time and place, last minute invitationsand acceptances are possible. An individual may post in invite for an8:00 pm dinner in the late afternoon (or even later) and receive anacceptance from another user thereby arranging a networking meeting.

Thus, a business traveler traveling to an unfamiliar city can, prior toor after arriving to the city, post an invitation for a meeting (e.g.,dinner, golf, etc.) with another individual. If the invitation is fordinner, for example, the traveler can include in the invitation profilethat the other party or parties be from the city (e.g., to tell thetraveler about the city during his or her visit), be an alumnus from thetraveler's school, be practicing in a particular profession, etc. Forexample, a business traveler having to spend two weeks in Miami, Fla.may, if desired, post in invitation for golf outings during her stay orinvitations for breakfast with other individuals that may share herinterests.

Thus, one aspect of the invention relates to a system and method whichallows individuals to post invitations on a computer-based network forreview and acceptance by other users. According to one embodiment, theinvitation is posted and if another user is interested, that other user(“the accepting user”) transmit (either directly or indirectly) an“acceptance” or “counterinvitation” (if the second user needs to modifythe original invitation in any manner such as a different time or place)to the inviting user who accepts the invitation or a“counterinvitation”. The system communicates the acceptance to or isaccessible by the inviting party who can either confirm the acceptance(thus establishing the meeting) or decline the acceptance for whateverreason (e.g., accepting party doesn't fit profile, change of plans,etc.). If the second party submits a counterinvitation, the invitingparty can either decline or accept. If the counterinvitation is acceptedby the first party, the acceptance is then communicated to the acceptinguser/counterinvitor who may than confirm the counterinvitation andestablish the meeting, in which case the original invitation ispreferably modified into the counterinvitation (so that additionalinvitation seekers can review the updated invitation, which is thecounterinvitation, should the invitation allow for additional guests atthe meeting).

According to one preferred embodiment, the invitations are stored in aninvitation database and are searchable by users. Preferably, theinvitations are categorized by location of proposed meeting (e.g., city,zip code, etc.), type of proposed meeting (e.g., golf outing, dinner,etc.), any preference/criteria (e.g., attorney, Norte Dame alum, realestate agent, etc.), type of meeting place (e.g, type of restaurant,cost of meal, type of golf course (private or public), etc) orcombinations thereof.

According to one preferred embodiment, the invitations may be displayedon an electronic bulletin board which lists the invitations and providesinvitation information (or summaries) including date posted, location ofproposed meeting, proposed meeting time, deadline for accepting, howmany invited to attend (e.g., one, two, three or more), whether aminimum number for acceptances are desired (e.g., “at least two” ormore), whether there are any acceptances (e.g., if one user has alreadyaccepted and there are two more “slots” remaining in the invitation), anpreference/criteria (e.g., attorney, resident of city, etc.).

Preferably, only computer users who are “members” or “subscribers” ofthe service can post invitations and/or review, browse and/or search theinvitations and/or respond to the invention with an acceptance orcounterinvitation.

One advantage of limiting access to “subscribing” or “member” users isto provide “quality control”. That is, subscribers or members wouldprovide the service with personal information including email, residenceand/or other identifying information. This would decrease the likelihoodof pranks such as the posting of a “fake invitation” or “fakeacceptance”. A service which provides genuine invitations andacceptances would clearly be advantageous to the users. Alternatively,“quality control” may also be provided by charging users with a fee topost an invitation and/or review, browse, and/or search invitationsand/or accept an invitation. For example, the method and system mayinclude a transaction fee and/or a deposit which is charged to theuser's credit card or the like.

An additional option for providing “quality control” may be to providethe service without charge but have the user's place a “deposit” (e.g.,using a credit card) in order to post an invitation and/or transmit anacceptance. If the user fails to honor the invitation or acceptance, theuser may forfeit the deposit. Alternatively, there may be a “fine”imposed on users who do not honor invitations or acceptances.

Methods of allowing individuals to post information and later receiveinformation from other individuals in response to the posting of theinformation are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,768to McGovern et al. discloses a method of posting on-line employmentadvertisements where an employer posts an advertisement for a particularposition (e.g., engineer, attorney, computer programmers, etc.)including a brief description of the position, location, etc. The methodalso allows the employer to receive resumes from individuals seekingemployment, where the resumes are automatically screened and organized.See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,406 to Rasansky et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,991,796 to Anupam et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,708 to Harvey.

Similarly (e.g., using similar technology readily available to those inthe art), the system and method of the invention preferably allows theinviting user to post an invitation containing invite informationincluding, for example, proposed time or time range of meeting, proposedplace of meeting (e.g., city, neighborhood, zip code, particularrestaurant, particular golf course, etc.), required or requestedbackground, preference and/or criteria of the desired “guest(s)” (e.g.,an attorney, an accountant, a civil war buff, a golfer, a sailor, a NewYorker, a Bostonian, etc.). The accepting/reviewing users interested inaccepting such invitations are able to review, browse and/or search suchinvitations. Preferably, the accepting/reviewing users can review,browse and/or search such invitations by category such as by time and/orplace.

An acceptor user (i.e., accepting/reviewing user) may then select aninvitation and submit a proposed acceptance. The proposed acceptance maybe accessed by or transmitted to the inviting user. Preferably, theproposed acceptance is emailed, facsimiled, or otherwise transmitted tothe invitor user. U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,406 to Bisdikian, et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 6,014,090 to Rosen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,473 to Wicks;U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,786 to Quinn; U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,933 to Heer etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,469 to Mattaway et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,657to Kennedy, III et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,612 to Dunn et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 5,963,913 to Henneuse et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,577 to Fan etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,068 to Wicks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,473 toWicks. Alternatively, the acceptance may be accessible by the invitorand the invitor checks the status of his or her invitation.

Preferably, unacceptable acceptances (e.g., do not match the criteriaset forth in the invitation) are screened by the system. Morespecifically, if the inviting user requested to meet with a resident ofa town he is visiting (e.g., to learn about the town), and a user who isnot a resident of the town transmits or posts a nonconformingacceptance, the system preferably either screens the improper acceptance(e.g., doesn't allow it to be posted or transmitted to the invitor) or“tags” the acceptance as nonconforming so that the invitor can readilyrecognize that it is improper and not review it or otherwise respond toit.

According to another embodiment multiple acceptances are categorized forthe invitor user (e.g., time posted, by closest match, by any timedeadlines set for responding, etc.).

According to another embodiment, the system and method of the inventionallows users to post invitations and accept invitations anonymously sothat the other users of the system do not know the identity of the otheruser. Preferably, the only information made available to the other usersis that which was provided by the user in the user's public profile(discussed further below). Of course, if an invitation is posted by afirst user, accepted by a second user and a meeting date confirmed byeach party, the first and second user may learn the others identity atthe meeting or during the arranging of the meeting. Users may also knowthe identity of another user because of previous meetings and/or becausethe user includes this information in the user's profile (e.g., name,member identification number, etc.). The ability to communicateanonymously between the other users is just one feature provided by theinventive system. This allows the users to develop the professionalnetworking connections which further the individual's career without anypersonal obligations which may arise from “knowing” an individualpersonal or exchanging personal information.

According to another embodiment, the users are given an option to remainanonymous throughout the process. For example, a user may, for example,wish to schedule a meeting with an individual who has worked for aparticular company or in a particular city for information purposes onlybecause the user is making a job change. Such a user may desiremaintaining anonymity before, during and after a meeting to avoidembarrassing situations such as word getting back to the user's presentemployer that the user is planning on moving or changing jobs.Preferably, the users are able to designate in the invitation the desireto remain anonymous. Preferably, the system and method provides userswith a secured personal identification number. U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,272to Hsiao.

According to one embodiment, the system also dynamically accounts forthe user's interests. U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,975 to Kittaka et al.

According to another embodiment, if an invitation receives an acceptanceby an accepting user, the system sends the acceptance or other notice oralert to the inviting user's mobile pager or other personalcommunication device or by email or the like. The message may also beforwarded to the user by the server over another network, such as thepublic telephone network, to a selected computer or to a selectedfacsimile machine at the recipient's office, home, hotel or otherdestination. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,837 to Foladare etal.

According to one embodiment, the information such as invitations and/oracceptances may be downloaded from Internet or other network to a user'shand held computer device or other mobile computer system. U.S. Pat. No.5,978,833 to Pashley et al.

As stated above, the users maybe “members” or “subscribers” to a servicewhich provides access to the inventive system and method. Preferably, inorder to access the system and use its functionality, users are asked tostore information in the database. Individuals who use the system arepreferably then allocated their “personal webpage”. According to onepreferred embodiment, the individual initially answers a number ofquestions about himself or herself to construct the individuals profilefor their personal webpage. The personal profile may include a publicprofile containing public information which may be disclosed to otherusers on the system and a private personal profile which is not madeavailable to the other users.

Public information may include the following: profession; city ofresidence and/or place of employment; place of birth; country of origin;education; employer; college/graduate school; hobbies (golf, tennis,running, etc.); age; favorite foods and/or cuisines; any allergies(e.g., to any foods); personal contact (e.g., phone number of closestrelative or friend in the event of any emergency during meeting). Thepublic profile may also include the personality traits of the user toincrease the likelihood of a good match between users (e.g., briefdescription of self, favorite book/movie, latest book read, astrologicalsign, famous personality most alike or compared to, pet peeves,political beliefs, religion, etc.).

The personal profile also preferably includes a private profilecontaining private information which is preferably not shared with otherusers. Private information may include the following: the sex of theindividual; home and/or business address and telephone number; homeand/or business email address; credit card and/or debit card number andinformation; name of employer; etc.

The purpose of a private profile would be to maintain user informationfor administration purposes (e.g., charging fees, etc.) and/or “qualitycontrol” (described above). An additional advantage would enable usersto avoid meetings which may make the user uncomfortable. For example,although the intent of the system and method of the invention is not toprovide a “dating service” and thus the gender of the users should beirrelevant, there may be legitimate reasons why a user wishes to meetonly with individuals of a certain gender. For example, if the invitinguser is a female and wishes to have a networking dinner with one or moreindividuals, the user may wish to meet with only females for safety orother reasons (e.g., is traveling in a foreign city). Preferably, thesystem allows the female user to post an invitation that includes“females only” in the criteria. Alternatively, the system may providethat such an invitation may be review and/or accepted only by memberswho are females. At the same time, the system would preferably not allowa male to post a “females only” invitation disguised as a female becauseof his private profile would indicate his gender.

Preferably, a user registers and constructs the personal profile bysupplying information in various fields on a form (e.g., a Web page)supplied by the server to the user. After filling such fields, the useris prompted with an option to post an invitation or review postedinvitations (discussed below).

In one embodiment, the individuals can register only once to prevent thecreation of multiple profiles for a single individual. Preferably, it ispossible to change existing information in the personal profile.Preferably, the information cannot be changed very often, because thiswould unnecessarily complicate operation of the system. In oneembodiment, the number of times information may be changed by residentsis limited to once a month, for example.

According to one embodiment, posting an invite on the invitation boardis only possible if the “invitor” is registered and therefore has his orher own personal web page and/or personal profile. In order to post aninvite, the user first provides an invite profile which includesinformation regarding the invitation such as (a) location (e.g., city orarea within a city or specific restaurant) (b) time (day and range oftime) (c) event (e.g., breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, tennis, golf,etc.), (d) price ranges (e.g., moderately priced restaurant, expensiverestaurant, etc.). Once the invite profile is completed, it ispreferably posted on an invitation bulletin board so that it may bereviewed by other users.

The system keeps a record of the total number of visitors, total numberof users registered, the total number of invitations posted, the totalnumber of invitations reviewed, the total number of invitationsaccepted, the total number of invitations confirmed and the total numberof meetings completed.

The system may also keep a record of statistics relating to anindividual user such as total number of invitations posted, accepted orconfirmed by the individual user, total number of meetings individualuser participated in and/or list of any such meeting (including when andwhere such meetings occurred) and total number and/or list of otherusers the individual user has communicated with, whether at a meeting orvia intrasystem mail.

According to one embodiment, an automatic maintenance procedure isprovided (e.g., “stale” invitations are deleted). U.S. Pat. No.5,963,913 to Henneuse et al. Preferably, in order to free up unusedspace on the system, inactive personal pages may be cancelled. Forexample, if a user has not logged into the system for three months, heor she may be sent an email message asking him or her whether he or shestill wants to be registered in the system. An automatic procedure thenasks the user if the user want to remain registered or wants to beremoved from the database. If no reply is received with two weeks, forexample, the users personal profile will be removed automatically.

According to another embodiment, if the user posts an invitation,receives acceptances, and then fails to confirm the acceptances, thesystem may send an email or other communication to the invitorrequesting confirmation so that the accepting users may planaccordingly. If the invitor fails to respond, the user may be askedwhether he or she still wants to participate. Alternatively, theinvitors personal page may be cancelled and/or fined an certain dollaramount to discourage the posting of “false” invitations or the like.

Similarly, users who accept an invitation but fail to confirm theconfirmation or participate in the scheduled meeting may be asked ifthey want to remain register or cancel their registration, automaticallycancel their personal Web page or profile, and/or fine their personalweb page.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system andmethod are accessible via a computer network such as the Internet. Theexplosive growth of the Internet, and specifically, the growth of theWorld Wide Web (“the Web”), has allowed a number of new services andproducts to be provided in an efficient and cost effective manner. TheWeb is built around a network of “server” computers which exchangerequests and data from each other using hypertext transfer protocol(“http”). A designer designs the layout of a Web page, for example,using Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”). Several versions of HTML arecurrently in existence. Examples include HTML versions 2.0 and 3.0, asspecified by the WWW Consortium of MIT.

A user views a Web page using one of a number of commercially available“browser” programs. The browser submits an appropriate http request toestablish a communications link with a Web server of the network. Atypical http request references a Web page by its unique UniformResource Locator (“URL”). A URL identifies the Web server hosting thatWeb page, so that an http request for access to the Web page can berouted to the appropriate Web server for handling. Web pages can also belinked graphically to each other.

Information presentations on Web pages are often abbreviated orshortened in order to save space and to produce better layouts. Typicalexamples of abbreviated or shortened information includes the use oficons. A user may merely click the icon, for example, to retrieveadditional information and/or web pages.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 according to one embodiment of theinvention. System 100 includes user terminals 101A, 101B, 101C in whichthe networking methods according to the invention may be executed. Auser receives and inputs information provided on user terminal 101Awhich is connected to server 103 via network 102 through two-waycommunication links. Network 102 may be any suitable network, preferablya public switched phone network, such as the Internet, an Intranet, LANor the like. Network 102 may include a standard frame-relay network suchas is operated by AT&T or MCI. At various locations, preferablygeographically remote from that of server 103, a number of intermediatelocal servers may connect server 103 via network 102 to user terminals101A, 101B and 101C. A user preferably accesses server 103 via network102 using user terminal 101A. System 100 may further comprisenonnetworking user terminal 104 which is also connected to server 103via network 102. Nonnetworking user terminal 104 may be a commercialuser which provides information to the users (e.g., advertisements forproducts and services) and/or tracks the activity or is provided withtracking information to develop targeted advertising and marketing tothe users. See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,370 to Jermyn; U.S. Pat. No.5,937,037 to Kamel et al The formats and contents of the informationcommunicated by the systems of the present invention can include adssimilar to the types of advertising typically displayed on Web pages viathe Internet (U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,410 to LeMole et al.; U.S. Pat. No.6,009,409 to Adler et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,392 to Alberts; U.S. Pat.No. 5,959,623 to van Hoff et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,040 to Rakavy etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,811 to Angles, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,061to Merriman et al.

For example, a nonnetworking user may be provided with the iternary of atraveling user so that the nonnetworking user can provide the user withuseful information such as hotel rates, entertainment, etc. Preferably,users are able to “block” such advertising and tracking if desired.

According to another embodiment, the method or system is connected to anetwork such as the Internet. Company subscribers pay to have their adsdownloaded and/or delivered by the system and/or pay an additionalpremium when a target ad is delivered to a targeted consumer or group ofconsumers. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,646. According to another preferredembodiment, the number of advertisements displayed are recorded forbilling purposes. Preferably, the device also includes a “filter” whichmay filter out targeted ads which may be objectionable to the targetedconsumer. The system also preferably comprises a central storage systemfor storing a plurality of advertisements and/or comprises a means forcertifying and/or recording that an advertisement has been displayed.See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,170 to Hite et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,393 toHite et al.

According to another embodiment, the “ads” displayed to a user isrecorded. Then, when the user undertakes post-impression transactionalactivity such as ordering products and/or services related to thedisplayed ad or makes further inquiries regarding the same, thetransactional activity along with the user's identification is recorded.Based on these records, the effectiveness of the ads can be measured.See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,197 to d'Eon, et al. Preferably, additionalfees are charged to the ad source based on the effectiveness of the ads.

Server 103 preferably controls the flow of data to and from networkinguser terminals 101A, 101B and 101C and nonnetworking user terminal 104.There are no special requirements for networking user computer 101A ornonnetworking user terminal 104, other than that each have some means ofassessing the information from server 103, preferably some means ofassessing the information via network 102. Terminals 101A, 101B and 101Cand nonnetworking user terminal 104 may be structurally the same ordifferent, except networking user terminals 101A, 101B and 101C are usedby networking users, whereas nonnetworking user terminal 104 is used bynonnetworking users such as advertising agents, direct markets,product/service providers, etc. System 100 may include any number ofnetworking user or nonnetworking user computers. System 100 may includeserver 103 or means for conveying information to and from server 103when server 103 is external to system 100.

Thus, the server's network interface is preferably able to supportmultiple simultaneous data connections with multiple users. In apreferred embodiment, a server or central computer is accessible overthe Internet or commercial on-line service such as America Online,CompuServe, or Prodigy, allowing multiple test-takers to access thecentral computer via simultaneous on-line connections. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the test questions can be downloadeddirectly from the central computer to the external terminals.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of server 103 of FIG. 1 according toone embodiment of the invention. Server 103 includes CPU 201,cryptographic processor 202, RAM 203, ROM 204, network interface 205 anddata storage device 210. Network interface 205 links server 103 tonetwork 102. CPU 201 is preferably connected to each of the elements ofserver 103. Server 103 may comprise one or more servers (not shown). CPU201 executes program instructions stored in RAM 203, ROM 204 and datastorage device 210 to perform various functions of the presentinvention.

Data storage device 210 preferably includes a combination of a pluralityof databases such as an invitation/acceptance database 211, networkinguser account database 212, networking profile (public and private)database 213 and nonnetworking user account database 214, as well asprogram instructions (not shown) for CPU 201. Invitation/acceptancedatabase 211 may contain current invitations, acceptance,counterinvitations, historical information relating to the same, etc.Networking user account 212 may include networking user information suchas account status, personal profile, activity (e.g., current and pastinvitations and/or acceptance, meetings, etc.), etc. Networking profiledatabase 213 may include networking user profiles, statistics, etc.

The databases in data storage device 210, such as databases 211, 212,213 and 214, are preferably implemented as standard relational databasescapable of supporting searching and storing multimedia information suchas text, audio, graphic, photographs, video, QuickTime movies, etc. Datastorage device 210 preferably comprises static memory capable of storinglarge volumes of data, such as one or more floppy disks, hard disks,CDS, or magnetic tapes.

CPU 201 is also preferably programmed to search databases includingdatabases 211, 212, 213 and 214 and transmit information in response toa networking user or nonnetworking user search request. CPU 201 receivesa search request containing certain criteria (e.g., a search forinvitations for dinner for next Tuesday in Chicago) and searches thedatabases to find one or more matches. Based upon the search, CPU 201releases certain information to the networking user or nonnetworkinguser requestor. Preferably, CPU 201 may assign pseudonyms to eachnetworking user, if requested, to maintain anonymity. There are a numberof search techniques that can be used including keyword, fuzzy logic andnatural language search tools. According to one embodiment, CPU 201compares the criteria against each networking user profile stored insystem 100 using one or more search algorithms and transmits to therequestor the networking user profiles or group or subgroup ofnetworking user profiles identified.

CPU 201 is preferably also programmed to provide communications,preferably anonymous communications, between one or more networkingusers and one or more nonnetworking users. In one embodiment, CPU 201can receive and store electronic mail messages in electronic mailboxesassigned to each networking user and/or nonnetworking user, therebyestablishing a non-real-time communications channel between networkingusers and education researchers, for example.

CPU 201 preferably comprises a conventional high-speed processor capableof executing program instructions to perform the functions describedherein. Although server 103 is described as being implemented with asingle CPU 201, in alternative embodiments, server 103 could beimplemented with a plurality of processors operating in parallel or inseries.

Network interface 205 connects CPU 201 to network 103. Network interface205 receives data streams from CPU 201 and network 103 formattedaccording to respective communication protocols. Network interface 205reformats the data streams appropriately and relays the data streams tonetwork 103 and CPU 201, respectively. Network interface 205 preferablyaccommodates several different communication protocols.

Cryptographic processor 202 is programmed to encrypt, decrypt andauthenticate the stored data in one or more of the databases describedabove. The networking user's name, for example, may be encrypted in thenetworking profile database 213 so that nonnetworking users can reviewthe information in the database without learning the networking user'sidentification.

RAM 203 and ROM 204 preferably comprise standard commercially-availableintegrated circuit chips.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of networking user terminal 101A ofFIG. 1. Networking user terminal 101A provides the networking user withan interface to system 100. Preferably, networking user terminal 101Aallows a networking user to enter data and transmit the data to server103 via network 102 and also receive data from server 103. Networkinguser terminal 101A preferably includes CPU 301, which is connected toROM 302, RAM 303, video driver 304, cryptographic processor 305,communication port 306, input device 307, and data storage device 308.Input device 307 may include a keyboard, touchpad, mouse, any otherknown input device or combinations thereof. Video monitor 310 isconnected to video driver 304 and modem 311 is connected tocommunication port 306 and network 102.

CPU 301 executes program instructions stored in RAM 303, ROM 301, anddata storage device 308 to carry out various functions associated withnetworking user terminal 101A. In a preferred embodiment, CPU 301 isprogrammed to receive data from input device 307, receive data fromcommunication port 306, output queries and received data to video driver304 for display on video monitor 310, and output data to communicationport 306 for transmission by modem 311 to network 102. CPU 301preferably transmits the data to cryptographic processor 305 forencryption before outputting data to communication port 306 fortransmission to network 102. When CPU 301 receives encrypted data, CPU301 transmits the encrypted data to cryptographic processor 305 fordecryption.

CPU 301 preferably comprises a high-speed processor capable ofperforming the functions described herein. Although networking userterminal 101A is described as being implemented with a single CPU 301,in alternative embodiments, networking user server 101A could beimplemented with a plurality of processors operating in parallel or inseries.

Video driver 304 relays received video and text data from CPU 301 tovideo monitor 310 for display.

Data storage device 308 preferably comprises static memory capable ofstoring large volumes of data, such as one or more floppy disks, harddisks, CDS, or magnetic tapes.

Communication port 306 relays data between CPU 301 and modem 311 inaccordance with conventional techniques. Network interface 205 receivesdata streams from CPU 201 and network 103 formatted according torespective communication protocols. Network interface 205 reformats thedata streams appropriately and relays the data streams to network 103and CPU 201, respectively. Network interface 205 preferably accommodatesseveral different communication protocols.

Cryptographic processor 305 is programmed to encrypt and decrypt data inaccordance with conventional encryption/decryption techniques and ispreferably capable of decrypting code encrypted by cryptographicprocessor 202. The networking user's name, for example, may be encryptedin the networking profile database 213 so that nonnetworking users canreview the information in the database without learning the networkinguser's identification.

Modem 311 preferably comprises a high-speed data transmitter andreceiver. Input device 307 preferably comprises any data entry devicefor allowing a user to enter data, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a videocamera, a touch or writing pad, key pad or microphone.

RAM 203 and ROM 204 preferably comprise standard commercially-availableintegrated circuit chips.

There are a number of ways a networking user or nonnetworking user mayinput information into the system and/or make a selection using thenetworking user terminal 101A including the use of selected strokes on akeyboard, the clicking of a mouse after moving the pointer to aparticular icon or graphic or the like on the video screen, and/or bytouching the video screen, touch pad or the like. Such methods anddevices for allowing a user to input information or make selections intoa computer-based system are well known in the art.

Using this invention, remotely-located networking users at a number ofnetworking user terminals 101A, 101B and 101C can simultaneously use theinvention and compare their results with other remotely locatednetworking users. The test preparation can be done on an ongoing basiswith no need for an on-line connection where the networking userdownloads the information. Alternatively, an on-line connection (e.g.,Internet, World Wide Web, American Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, etc.)can be used for even greater flexibility in test question distributionand control.

Whether on-line or off-line, the networking user's scores are securelyassociated with the networking user's identity (such as by using asecured personal identification number, See U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,272),which in turn is associated with the networking user's profile.

Thus, the networking user's identity is preferably confidential. Oneform of advantageous anonymity useful in the invention involves“shielded identity”, where a trusted agent (e.g., the operator of theserver 103) knows the identity of the masked party (e.g., networkinguser), but does not reveal that identity to others except under certaincircumstances. U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,272.

Moreover, the information transmitted to and from users to the system ispreferably secured using encryption or other security measures. See forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,373 to Lubien et al. ; U.S. Pat. No.5,917,912 to Ginter et al.

One broad aspect of the invention is the ability of users to reviewposted invitations and, if desired, accept any such invitation toschedule a meeting with other user(s). According to one embodiment, theuser can query the database to search for invitations for meetings at aparticular time or place and/or invitor profile.

Selections may be made for querying the database using radio buttons(e.g., by click or tabbing). In alternative embodiments, selections canbe made by checking boxes, by using pull-down menus, by entering text,or by any other appropriate method.

In many database environments, information stored within the database isretrievable using a query language. However, preferably users of thesystem can retrieve information stored by other users without having toknow complex query statements, and the result of such a query will be arepresentation of graphical elements.

The system may be funded by user membership fees (e.g., daily, weekly,monthly or yearly) or a fee may be charged for each invitation postedand/or each invitation accepted. Preferably, the primary purpose of suchfees in not only to support the system but also to provide an element ofquality control for the invitations posted and accepted. For example,user may be discouraged from using the service if “false” invitationsand/or “false” acceptances are posted on the system. A user may believesuch an invitation or acceptance is real and show up to the scheduledmeeting place only to find that the invitation or acceptance wasfraudulent. This would obviously frustrate a user who otherwise may havemade other plans or selected a different invitation or acceptance. Suchfraudulent activity could decrease the benefits of the inventive system.Thus, the requirement that fees be paid for use of the system or finescharges to those who post fake invitations or acceptance should improvethe quality of the service.

In one embodiment, the database homepage, personal WebPages and/orinvitation bulletin board includes advertising graphics. The advertisinggraphics can be in the form of billboards, links, banners or the like.In one embodiment, the advertiser can design the advertisement andprovides the designed advertisement to the system. For example, theadvertiser can indicate to the system the location of a graphics file.This may include a URL if the network employed is the Internet, mayinclude a drive and file name if the network employed is an Intranetnetwork, a local area network, or a wide area network, or a graphicsfile may be transferred if a dial up connection is employed. In onepreferred embodiment, the advertiser can decide to have itsadvertisement displayed only when the user performing a search meets theadvertisers pre-defined profile. For example, if the users has indicatedin his profile that he is a golfer, an advertiser of golf products orservices may display an advertisement when the user is logged on.Alternatively, the profile of an invitation may also prompt certainadvertisements. For example, a restaurant or hotel or a limousineservice in New York City may display advertisements to users who post ininvitation for or users who are reviewing invitations for New York City.In one embodiment, the advertiser may target certain users by e-mail totheir personal webpage.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, individuals areprovided with personal private WebPages. When the member logs into thesystem, the member's personal pages in display providing the member withinformation including scheduled meetings, invitations posted by themember, any invitations accepted by the member, etc.

Preferably, the webpage includes icons associated with particularfunctions of the system including an icon associated with posting aninvitation, an icon associated with reviewing the invitations bulletin,etc.

According to one embodiment, each set of users who confirm a meeting areprovided with a temporary “guest identification”. The guestidentification can be used to connect with the other individual withoutexchanging full names. Moreover, users can be instructed to exchangecodes when they meet. Then if one doesn't show, this can be verified byasking for code. If he has it, he must have attended the meeting.

According to another embodiment, users are also provided withpersonalized information based on their user profile, travel iternary,invitations or acceptances and the like. For example, if a user based inNew York City posts an invitation for dinner in Chicago for thefollowing evening, the system may provide the user with weatherinformation at the travel destination (e.g., Chicago) and/or along atravel route. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,882 to Simpson et al. whichrelates to a method and system for providing weather information along atravel route. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,975 to Kittaka et al whichrelates to a method for providing information on-line to a user based onthe user's interest. See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,090 to Rosen et al.

As stated above, the Internet comprises a vast number of computers,computer networks, cellular phones, Palm pilots and the like that areinterconnected through communication links. The interconnected computersexchange information using various services, such as electronic mail,Gopher, and the World Wide Web (“Web”). The Web allows a server computersystem (e.g., Web server or Web site) to send graphical Web pages ofinformation to a remote user computer system. The remote user computersystem can then display the Web pages. U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411. Onebroad aspect of the invention relates to a method and system for placingan “invite” via the Internet. According to one embodiment, the invite isplaced by an inviting user at the inviting user system and received by aserver system. The server system receives inviter information includingidentification of the invitor, profile information and inviteinformation such as time and place of proposed meeting. The serversystem then assigns a client identifier to the inviting user system andassociates the assigned client identifier with the received inviteinformation. The server system sends to the client system the assignedclient identifier and an HTML document identifying the invite andincluding an order or authorize button. The client system receives andstores the assigned client identifier and receives and displays the HTMLdocuments including the invite information. In response to the selectionof the authorize button, the client system sends to the server system arequest to post the invite for other users to review. The server systemreceives the request and posts the invite information for other users toreview and accept. Preferably, the invite information posted does notinclude the client identifier to maintain the anonymity of the invitor.

According to one embodiment, the method and system provides the invitorand/or accepting user to pay for the expenses associated with themeeting. For example, an invitor may post an invite to met with one ormore individuals from a specified group (e.g., lawyers, accountants,consultants, computer scientists) and offer to pay for the expensesassociated with the meeting (e.g., pay for the dinner).

Preferably, the invention also allows users to establish and maintainuser-controlled anonymous communications. See, for example, PCT PatentPublication WO 98/10558 by Walker et al. and PCT Patent Publication WO98/04061 by Walker et al.

According to another preferred embodiment, the system and method employsan advanced positioning system in combination with a cellularcommunication network to determine the location of a user accessing theservices via cellular telephone. For example, the system may determinethe service area the user is located using information from the closestmobile switching center (USC) or cell site being used by the user orfrom a global positioning satellite or by other means. See, for example,U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,109 to Monty. The system can thereby provide theuser with updated information relating to that region such as weatherreports, traffic and travel reports, newly posted invites in the regionthat might interest that user, special events.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a directory of users.Preferably, the users authorize the posting of personal information insuch a directory. The directory may include information such as theuser's residence, profession, hobbies, etc. This would enable users toreadily contact other users for meetings and/or exchanging informationand the like and further enhance the networking capabilities of theinvention. Preferably, the invention provides an on-line directory suchas a web page which enables individual users to revise and update theirpersonal information. Methods of creating directories are known in theart. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,834 to Pinard et al.Preferably, the directory is made accessible to a user at the discretionof the administrator of the web server. The information is thenaccessible via website, browser, fax, e-mail, voicemail, mail, softwareand other communication means.

One advantage of the Web is that it allows for the definition ofdevice-, system- and application-independent electronic content. Thedetails of how to display or play back that content on a particularmachine within a particular software environment are left to theindividual web browsers. The content itself, however, need only beseparated once. Thus, the Web offers the ultimate in cross-platformcapability. However, pre-existing collections of information, such aspre-existing databases, can rarely be directly placed on the Web.Placing such databases on the Web typically requires the use of agateway programs. Preferably, the system of the invention employs acomputer network and database to provide a hardware-independent, dynamicinformation system in which the information content is entirelyuser-controlled. U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,367 to Wesinger, Jr. et al.

Preferably, the users are provided with information while they arelogged into the inventive system. Suitable methods and systems fordynamically displaying data items on a user's computer is set forth inU.S. Pat. No. 5,959,621 to Nawaz, et al. (discloses a ticker displaypane for dynamically displaying the date items).

Another aspect of the invention includes information to the individualuser's based on a user's travel profile (e.g., a personalized newspaperor personalized weather report). For example, a particular user may betraveling from Chicago to Miami for a personal trip. According to thisaspect of the invention, the user will be provided with relevant,targeted information relating to Chicago and Miami based on that user'sprofile. Such information may include weather or traffic reports for theMiami, but include sports news or other local news from Chicago. Thecontent of the information may also be tailored to the user's personalprofile. For example, the user may live in Los Angeles, be traveling toDenver and be a Boston Red Sox's fan. Thus, the information provided tosuch a user may include local LA news, Denver travel information andBoston Red Sox's scores. Suitable methods for providing an automaticmethod and system for retrieving-information based on a user-definedprofile is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,662 to Dasan. Preferably,the inventive methods and system provides information to the useradapted to the language or dialect of the user or that which is mostlikely to match the native language or dialect of the user. See, U.S.Pat. No. 5,944,790 to Levy. For example, the system may request thecountry code, numerical node address or dialect of the user andsubsequently provide all information in that dialect or language.

According to another aspect of the invention, commercial users (e.g.,not individual users) are provided information relating to theindividual users. Preferably, this information is only provided tocommercial users with the permission of the individual users. Forexample, hotel chains may be provided with information regarding anindividuals travel plans so that any special rates or the like can beprovided to the user. According to another embodiment, the system andmethods also employ a tracking means to track a user on the Internet todetermine additional information for the user profile. For example, ifthe user visits a Web site relating to golfing, the system will trackthis and provide related information to the user. Suitable trackingmechanisms include those set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,705 to Koneru,et al.

Methods and devices for securing transactions on the Internet are knownin the art. The “personal” account has become an important feature inmany commercial and non-commercial transactions. Personal accounts areused, for example, with telephone calling cards, checking and savingsaccounts in banks, computer networks, and credit cards. According to onepreferred, the users of personal accounts which are accessed usingpersonal account numbers with personal passwords or the like. Suitabletechniques for secured personal identification numbers are set forth inU.S. Pat. No. 5,971,272 to Hsaio, Preferably, the system employs thestate of the art security measures to maintain the confidentiality ofpersonal accounts, etc. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,444 to Nakamura etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,491 to Kou; U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,350 to Funabe,et al.

Another embodiment of the invention allows users to access theirpersonal accounts via telephone. For example, users may access theirpersonal accounts using cellular telephones. Normally, each cellulartelephone has a unique identifier which is transmitted along with thetelephone call to identify the cellular telephone for billing purposes.According to one preferred embodiments, users may access their personalaccounts by calling a designated number and the system recognizes theuser by the unique identifier, allowing the user to access the personalaccount without entering their account number. Preferably, the cellulartelephone user must still input a password or other security measure togain full access.

Preferably, the method or system includes a service home web page whichprompts with user options such as creating personal profile (for newusers), changing personal profiles (for existing user members), reviewposted invitations or post a new invitation. If a new profile is needed,the system prompts the networking user to input personal information.The personal information such as name, address, E-mail address and phonenumber which is input on this page is preferably kept confidential.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, each individualnetworking user has a personal web page which is accessible by saidindividual and secure against access by other users. Preferably,personal web or personal home age includes invitation/acceptanceinformation, travel information, prior meetings history, etc.Preferably, the different types of information are displayed in the formof text, icons and/or other suitable graphics. Graphics user interfaceoperating systems, such as Microsoft Corporations Windows™ and anyrelated products, have greatly improved the ease with which tasks can beaccomplished on a computer. Instead of requiring the user to rememberthe file name and path of an application program in order to execute it,as conventionally is the case in text-based operating systems, in agraphic operating system, the user need only activate an icon thatrepresents the application. The graphic icon is preferably activated bypositioning a cursor over it and then “double clicking” on the icon witha pointing device that is used to control the cursor. Since theproperties assigned to the graphic icon are linked to the executablefile and specify its complete directory path, there is no need for theuser to recall that information after the icon properties are initiallyset up to run the program. See, PCT patent publication No. WO 96/39654.Pull-down menus or keystroke-mouse combinations may also be provided toallow the networking user to view additional options. Additionally,interface objects are preferably grouped according to functionality.Preferably, the web pages automatically adapts to the user's languageand customs. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,790 to Levy.

While the particular methods, devices and systems described herein anddescribed in detail are fully capable of attaining the above-describedobjects and advantages of the invention, it is to be understood thatthese are the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and arethus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplatedby the present invention, that the scope of the present invention fullyencompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilledin the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordinglyto be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in whichreference to an element in the singular means “one or more” and not “oneand only one”, unless otherwise so recited in the claim.

1. An on-line networking method for facilitating an arrangement for a meeting between two or more users including a first user and a second user comprising: (a) allowing said first user and/or said second user to register to the use of said on-line networking method; (b) receiving a proposed invitation from said first user, said proposed invitation comprising proposed invitation information including a time and a place for a proposed meeting; and (c) providing said proposed invitation information to, or at a location accessible by, said second user, wherein (i) said first user and said second user do not know each other prior to said first user providing said proposed invitation; (ii) said proposed invitation does not include a specified invited individual; or (iii) said first user and/or said second user are anonymous, and wherein said steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed using one or more computer devices.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user and/or said second user register as anonymous users.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating steps (a)-(c) a plurality of times to arrange a plurality of said meetings, wherein said plurality of meetings includes at least 1000 meetings.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an acceptance or a counter invitation from said second user to, or at location accessible by, said first user.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising allowing said first user to approve or decline said acceptance or counter invitation and communicating said decision to approve or decline to said second user.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein said first user and said second user do not know each other prior to said acceptance by said second user.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user is charged a fee for providing said proposed invitation.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein said second user is charged a fee for accepting said invitation.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user and/or said second user are charged a fee in step (a).
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user and said second user are allowed to remain anonymous after said meeting.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user and said second user each provide a personal profile during step (a).
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying targeted advertisements to said first user and/or said second user based on said personal profiles.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said personal profile includes private information and public information.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing targeted advertisements based on said proposed invitation.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein said [advertisement displays] advertisements are targeted based on a location specified in said proposed invitation.
 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising confirming to said first user and said second user said time and place of said meeting between said first user and said second user.
 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the invitation to expire after an appropriate time period.
 18. A system for performing the method of claim 1, comprising one or more computer devices: (a) [means] for allowing said first user and said second user to register to the use of said method; (b) [means] for receiving said proposed invitation from said first user, said proposed invitation comprising proposed invitation information including said time and said place for said proposed meeting; and (c) [means] for providing said proposed invitation information to, or at a location accessible by, said second user; wherein said system is capable of arranging said meeting between said first user and said second user.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein said proposed invitation does not include a specified invited individual.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user and/or said second user are anonymous.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an acceptance from said second user to, or at location accessible by, said first user.
 22. The method of claim 21, further allowing said first user to approve or deny said acceptance and communicating same to said second user.
 23. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing or displaying said invitation at a location accessible by other users.
 24. The method of claim 1, wherein said first user and second user are required to register by providing an email address.
 25. A computer-based method for arranging a meeting between a first individual and a second individual comprising: (a) allowing said first individual to generate an electronic invitation for a proposed meeting, said electronic invitation comprising proposed invitation information including a time or time range and a location for said proposed meeting; (b) providing said proposed invitation information to, or at a location accessible by, said second individual; and (c) allowing said second individual to accept said electronic invitation; Wherein (i) said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said first individual generating said electronic invitation; (ii) said electronic invitation does not include a specified invited individual; or (iii) said first individual and/or said second individual are anonymous; and Wherein said steps (a), (b), and (c) are performed using one or more computer devices.
 26. The method of claim 25, further comprising communicating to said first individual an indication that said second individual has accepted the invitation.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said first individual pays a fee to generate said electronic invitation.
 28. The method of claim 26, further comprising notifying a third individual of said electronic invitation after it is generated.
 29. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing said first individual to approve or deny said second individual's acceptance of said invitation.
 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising transmitting to said second individual an indication that said first individual has approved or denied said second individual's acceptance.
 31. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing or displaying said electronic invitation at a location accessible by other individuals.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein said method arranges a meeting between two or more individuals who do not know each others identity prior to said providing or displaying said electronic invitation at a location accessible by other individuals.
 33. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said first individual generating said electronic invitation using said computer-based method.
 34. The method of claim 25, wherein said electronic invitation does not include a specified invited individual.
 35. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual and/or said second individual are anonymous.
 36. The method of claim 25, wherein said method arranges a meeting between two or more anonymous individuals.
 37. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said acceptance.
 38. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said approval or denial of said acceptance.
 39. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said meeting.
 40. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual pays a fee to generate said electronic invitation.
 41. The method of claim 25, wherein said second individual pays a fee to accept said electronic invitation.
 42. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual is required to register prior to generating said electronic invitation.
 43. The method of claim 42, wherein said first individual provides personal information including email, residence and/or other identifying information to register.
 44. The method of claim 25, wherein said first individual is required to register prior to generating said electronic invitation by providing an email address.
 45. The method of claim 25, wherein said second individual is required to register prior to accepting said electronic invitation.
 46. The method of claim 25, wherein said second individual is required to register prior to accepting said electronic invitation by providing an email address.
 47. The method of claim 25, wherein said electronic invitation includes a time for said proposed meeting.
 48. The method of claim 25, wherein said electronic invitation includes a specific location for the proposed meeting and/or the city, neighborhood, or zip code for the proposed meeting.
 49. The method of claim 25, wherein said electronic invitation includes a location and a time for said proposed meeting.
 50. The method of claim 25, wherein said electronic invitation includes a description of who said first individual would like to meet.
 51. The method of claim 25, wherein said proposed meeting includes a meal and said electronic invitation includes a food preference.
 52. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing said first individual to create a user profile comprising public information.
 53. The method of claim 52, wherein said public information includes one or more of the following: profession; employer; city of employer; city of residence; place of birth; country of origin; education, college; graduate school; hobbies; age; favorite foods; or favorite cuisines.
 54. The method of claim 52, wherein said public information is disclosed to other individuals.
 55. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing said first individual to create a user profile comprising private information.
 56. The method of claim 55, wherein said private information includes one or more of the following: full name, home address, business address, telephone number, email address, and credit card number.
 57. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing said first individual to create a user profile comprising public information and private information.
 58. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing said second individual to create a user profile comprising public information and private information.
 59. The method of claim 25, further allowing said first individual and said second individual to communicate anonymously.
 60. The method of claim 25, further comprising notifying a third individual of said invitation after it is generated.
 61. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing one or more additional individuals to accept said invitation.
 62. The method of claim 61, further comprising allowing said first individual to accept or deny said acceptances from said one or more additional individuals.
 63. The method of claim 25, further comprising allowing a plurality of individuals to generate a plurality of electronic invitations.
 64. The method of claim 63, further comprising monitoring said plurality of electronic invitations and notifying one or more other individuals when one or more of said plurality of electronic invitations is posted.
 65. The method of claim 63, wherein said plurality of electronic invitations includes at least 1000 electronic invitations.
 66. The method of claim 63, wherein said plurality of electronic invitations is stored in a database and is searchable by one or more other individuals.
 67. The method of claim 66, wherein said plurality of electronic invitations are categorized by location of proposed meeting, type of proposed meeting, any preference/criteria, type of meeting place, type of golf course or combinations thereof.
 68. The method of claim 63, wherein said plurality of electronic invitations are displayed on an electronic bulletin board which lists the electronic invitations and provides invitation information including one or more of the following: date posted, location of proposed meeting, proposed meeting time, deadline for accepting, how many invited to attend, whether a minimum number of acceptances are desired, whether there are any acceptances, remaining openings, and invitee preference/criteria.
 69. The method of claim 25, further comprising notifying said first individual when said electronic invitation is generated to confirm receipt.
 70. The method of claim 25, further comprising creating and sending a confirmation message to each participant of said proposed meeting for confirmation.
 71. The method of claim 70, wherein said confirmation message includes the date and time of the meeting.
 72. The method of claim 25, wherein said invitation information includes a maximum number of acceptances.
 73. The method of claim 25, further comprising retrieving a matching available user from a database including available users for selected electronic invitations.
 74. The method of claim 73, wherein said available users designate themselves as being available for selected electronic invitations.
 75. The method of claim 74, further comprising automatically generating an acceptance of said electronic invitation for said available user to transmit, provide or display to said first individual and allowing said first individual to approve or deny said automatically generated acceptance.
 76. The method of claim 25, further receiving a travel itinerary from a user and allowing another user to provide said user with information based on said travel itinerary.
 77. The method of claim 25, further comprising displaying one or more advertisements to said first individual or said second individual and recording any post-impression transactional activity by said first individual or second individual.
 78. The method of claim 77, wherein said post-impression transactional activity includes ordering products and/or services related to the displayed one or more advertisements.
 79. The method of claim 25, comprising further providing said first individual with a personal page that displays scheduled meetings, prior meeting history, invitations posted by the first individual, and/or any invitations accepted by the first individual.
 80. The method of claim 25, further comprising determining the location of a third individual using an advanced positioning system in combination with a cellular communication network.
 81. The method of claim 80, further comprising providing said third individual with information based on said location of said third individual.
 82. The method of claim 81, comprising notifying said third individual of electronic invitations based on said location.
 83. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing a directory of users that includes user information and allowing users to contact other users for meetings using said directory.
 84. The method of claim 25, wherein said steps (a),(b) and (c) are performed using one or more wireless computer devices.
 85. A system for performing an on-line networking method for facilitating an arrangement for a meeting between two or more users including a first user and a second user, the system comprising (a) means for allowing said first user and said second user to register to the use of said system; (b) means for receiving a proposed invitation from said first user, said proposed invitation comprising proposed invitation information including a time and a place for said proposed meeting; and (c) means for providing said proposed invitation information to, or at a location accessible by, said second user; wherein said system is capable of arranging said meeting between said first user and said second user; and wherein (i) said first user and said second user do not know each other prior to said first user providing said proposed invitation; (ii) said proposed invitation does not include a specified intended invited individual; or (iii) wherein said first user and/or said second user are anonymous. Wherein said steps (a), (b), and (c) are performed using one or more computer devices.
 86. The system of claim 85, wherein said system is capable of allowing said second user to register as an anonymous user.
 87. The system of claim 85, wherein said system is capable of providing an acceptance from said second user to, or at location accessible by, said first user.
 88. The system of claim 87, wherein said system allows said first user to approve or decline said acceptance.
 89. The system of claim 88, wherein said system communicates the first user decision to approve or decline to said second user.
 90. The system of claim 87, wherein said first user and said second user do not know each other prior to said acceptance by said second user.
 91. The system of claim 85, wherein said system requires said first user to pay a fee for providing said proposed invitation.
 92. The system of claim 85, wherein said system allows said first user and said second user to each provide a user profile.
 93. The system of claim 92, wherein said user profile includes private information and public information.
 94. The system of claim 85, wherein said proposed invitation does not include a specified invited individual.
 95. The system of claim 85, wherein said system is capable of providing or displaying said proposed invitation at a location accessible by other users.
 96. The system of claim 85, wherein said system is capable of notifying a third individual of said proposed invitation after it is generated.
 97. The system of claim 96, wherein said system is capable of allowing said third user to accept said proposed invitation.
 98. The system of claim 96, wherein said system is capable of determining the location of said third user.
 99. The systcm of claim 98, wherein said third user is notified of said proposed invitation based on said location.
 100. The system of claim 99, wherein said location of said third user is determined using an advanced positioning system in combination with a cellular communication network.
 101. The system of claim 85, wherein said first user and said second user are required to provide an email address to register.
 102. A computer-based method for arranging a meeting between a first individual and a second individual comprising: (a) allowing said first individual to generate an electronic invitation for a proposed meeting, wherein said electronic invitation comprises proposed invitation information including a time or time range and a location for said proposed meeting; (b) providing said electronic invitation to, or at a location accessible by, said second individual; and (c) allowing said second individual to accept said electronic invitation; wherein (i) said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said first individual generating said electronic invitation; (ii) said electronic invitation does not include a specified invited individual; or (iii) said first individual and/or said second individual arc anonymous; and wherein said steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed using one or more computer devices and wherein said first individual pays a fee to generate said electronic invitation and wherein said second individual is required to register prior to accepting said electronic invitation by providing an email address.
 103. A computer-based method for arranging a meeting between a first individual and a second individual comprising: (a) allowing said first individual to generate an electronic invitation for a proposed meeting, wherein said first individual is required to register prior to generating said electronic invitation and wherein said electronic invitation comprises proposed invitation information including a time or time range and a location for said proposed meeting; (b) providing said electronic invitation to, or at a location accessible by, said second individual; and (c) allowing said second individual to accept said electronic invitation and create a user profile comprising public information and private information; wherein (i) said first individual and said second individual do not know each other prior to said first individual generating said electronic invitation; (ii) said electronic invitation does not include a specified invited individual; or (iii) said first individual and/or said second individual are anonymous; and wherein said steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed using one or more computer devices and further comprising notifying a third individual of said electronic invitation after it is generated and allowing said third individual to accept said electronic invitation. 